Nearly a third of Brits won’t see mums on Mothering Sunday

Nearly a third of all Brits will NOT see their mums this Mothering Sunday and almost half will not even send a card, according to a poll.

Just 30 per cent of Brit adults will make the effort to see their mothers this weekend while only 40 per cent can be bothered to pop a card in the post.

And of those who will spend time with their dear old mum, a quarter will her to do the cooking and serve lunch rather than take her out for a meal.

Britain’s shameful attitude towards the nation’s mums was revealed in a poll of 2,000 Brits commissioned by DistinctiveChesterfields.com.

The poll found that despite the reluctance of many to travel to see their mums, the nation will still fork out £435m on treating their mothers this weekend.

A total of £435m will be spent on presents, flowers and meals out with each Britain spending an average of £24.38 on their mum.

Flowers are the gift of choice for half of Brits, followed by chocolates (27%) and perfume (8%).

One in ten of those surveyed said they would seek out something more unusual to treat their mum, covering everything from a bag of compost to two weeks of sunshine in the Caribbean.

The survey found that a quarter of Brits see their parents less than once every three months and almost five percent visit less than once a year.

But it’s encouraging to know that 69 per cent of Brits do keep in touch by calling at least once a week.

And it’s women, on average, who spend the most time with their mum, seeing her for an hour longer than men on each visit, despite being more likely than men to prefer their dad.

Steve Laidlaw, director at DistinctiveChesterfields.com, said: “For all that cleaning, washing, cooking and general looking-after that your mum has done over the years, make Mothering Sunday a special occasion.

“You don’t need to spend loads of money, simply visit her and she will really appreciate the gesture much more than an extravagant gift.”

Siobhan Freegard, founder of ChannelMum.com said: “You only get one mum and you only get one day a year to really cherish her - but this still seems too much trouble for many Brits.

“It’s so sad that almost a third of mothers won’t get to see their sons and daughters, while two in five won’t even receive a card.

“Perhaps UK children realise their mums love them whatever they do, so they don’t have to make an effort?

“It’s well worth remembering you don’t have to spend on fortune on pricey gifts.

“Although it’s lovely to receive, most mothers would far rather have time with their children or a homemade card which shows some thought.

“Your mum has spent a lifetime bringing you up - so spend Mother’s Day with her.”

Mothering Sunday began as a tradition around 500 years ago when wild flowers would be picked in the run up to Easter and given as a thank you to hard-working mums.